Look Around

I woke up this morning with two old songs running through my mind.  The first one I heard in the early 70's as my walk with Christ was beginning to develop into a strong desire to follow Him to the best of my ability.  One of the lines of that song says; "Signs of the times are every where..."  I can remember that many believers lived under the influence that the return appearance of Christ (what became known as the Rapture) could take place at any moment.  We were encouraged and challenged to live as though Christ would return at any moment to take His people to be with Him forever.  I am writing these words some forty years later and He has not returned as of this moment.  But we must remember that the signs of the times are still all around us.  We are noticing a constant influence of evil, sin, and debauchery making a greater and more destructive entrance into our society.  We can look around and notice that these signs and events can be very troubling to those of us who are facing these moments and these events.  We may feel somewhat overwhelmed as we look at these situations but we must remember that we are not alone.  Now, let me share some of the words of the second song that has been playing in my mind this morning.  The song includes these words; "If we ever needed the Lord before we sure do need Him now..."  Those words may truly speak to the need of the church in this hour.  The world in which we are living is very complex but the answer to our need may be simple.  I don't mean to demeanor or to defame Christ by using the word "simple" but I do believe the answer for what we need lies right before our eyes.  We must lift our hearts to Christ and cry out in sincere intercession for our lives, the lives of our family, the lives of friends, and the lives of our communities.  Take a moment today and ask Christ to be a powerful influence in your life and then allow Him to direct  your steps in the right direction.